I've always gravitated towards soft, monochromatic color schemes for interior spaces. Natural hues and textures become their own contrasts and interesting decorative tensions. My plan for 2012 is to complete the renovation of my house with all this in mind - a calm, clean, fresh and serene feel. However you plan to decorate your 2012, cheers to you and a fresh start. 

All the best!

j.

(you can click on images above to retrieve sources and explore further design inspiration)

Wood accents just have that cozy feeling that is irresistible, comforting, inviting, and luscious. I'm always looking for new ways to welcome wood finishes into my home, and the images above are from a few of my favorite blogs that, like me, cannot deny the brilliance that is mother nature created. Click on the images to track the blog source that inspired me. 

Cozy-time!

This week I came across this lovely UK boutique called SCP thanks to one of my favorite blogs, You Are The River. For a gal who's just a wee bit obsessed with pouffs, I was overjoyed to explore SCP and its' many collections (to say the least). With furniture, accessories, textile arts, and so much more, SCP carries a tremendous variety of home fittings - all uniquely designed with a homespun feel and brilliant color and pattern combinations. So if you have any friends heading across the pond soon, be sure to place your orders! Happy shopping :)

Delica handcrafted delights are truly little bundles of joy. Made from 100% merino wool, each piece is crafted by using full felting, needle felting, and wt felting techniques. Within the collection are felted bows, coaster, placemats, pebbles, jewelry and a variety of vessels. I especially love the calming color waves and the inherent warmth of each and every piece. You can shop Delica on Etsy, but hurry because time is running out to have the pieces delivered for holiday gift-giving. 

The holiday baking season is just around the corner, and to kick-start the festivities I was invited on CityLine to share some of ideas for packaging and gifting holiday treats. Whether you traditionally bake for holiday entertaining, or for you and your family; or gift for friends, teachers colleagues colleagues, cookies, squares and homemade candy always make people smile. This season why not amp-up your packaging and really impress your gift receiver. Click here to catch all the fun I had with Tracy Moore, revealing some easy DIY cookie packaging ideas. Also, I've gathered some new holiday baking accessories for the serious bakers out there, as well as some thoughtful gift ideas for your baker friends. Be sure to watch Teatro Verde's Shawn Gibson, Food Network Canada's Anna Olson and The Cookbook Store's Alison Fryer share some of their holiday baking treats as well! Thanks CityLine!! See you soon :)

Many thanks to my friends at HomeSense, Crate and Barrel, Pimlico Design Gallery, Angus & Company, and Teatro Verde for the amazing baking and entertaining accessories and tools. 

My dream shop for the home is unquestionably Dunlin. Why, you might ask, well, it's simple. Dunlin represents everything I cherish for my home: simple, curated, and inspired. Dunlin offers a fresh assembly of unique pieces that have been carefully sourced by New York and Sydney based designers, Nicolas Barber and Alexandrea Bond. Offering a perfect balance of classics and contemporary looks, the collections stand the test of time. All the goods are gathered around the world: from New York to London; and East Hampton to Palm Springs, including some of Manhattan's finest crafstman. Better still, Dunlin, altough located in Sydney, ships globally! I dream a dream called Dunlin. 

Meet Lotta Jansdotter, a Swedish artist who crafts textile art, stationary, objects and much more. Drawing inspiration from the simple things that fulfill our days, to nordic landscapes and natural elements, Lotta is a whole lot special. Lotta's sweet, soft color combinations, along with the organic shapes and homespun feel to her works are satisfyingly refreshing. Her influential creative instincts are infectious to city slickers and country folk alike, and her grounded care for family, friends, our environment and all that's in between is delightfully uplifting. Best of all, you can order her fabrics and accessories online. Thanks Lotta!

I am drowning in inspiration images, textures, materials et al for my home reno (starting in 3 weeks time, yippee!), and as much as I am a Pinterest (and other virtual worlds) devotee, deep down I am an old-fashioned mood board kind of gal. This means all my inspirations will soon be printed and pinned to a surface nearby for constant reference and motivation. I started creating mood boards in design school, and it has honestly stayed with me eversince - always helping me organize my workings and keep me on track towards my goal. It becomes personal and eventually, in my opinion, a masterpiece! Having discovered on one of my favorite blogs, Bodie & Fou, a fabulous masking tape company called MT Masking Tape, I am parting with pins and sticking with the ultimate spectrum of masking tape. So with your next home project, or any creative project for that matter, I say try creating your very own board of inspiration, and yes, just Mask-It :)

I am all for a pouf or two. Ever since they came sailing into home fashion, I have been on board, all the way. But these SLUMBER Poufs designed by Alksandra Gaca for Casalis Carpets, are my favorite. They are super soft - made of kid mohair and an elastic fabric that take the form of your body when you sit on them. And because of their extreme flexibility however, they bounce right back to their modern shape as soon as hop right out of 'em. They come in an array of soothing colors, and both small and large sizes - perfect for any space, and for any gathering. Now, who wants to come to my Slumber party!?

 What do you get when a golfer and a bookshelf collide? Hmmm....

You get mutual enthusiasm for T-shaped systems! You see a Tee, to a golfer, is the support system that is discreetly placed in the ground to provide almost invisible service to both the ball and the golfer. Well, same goes for TEEbooks, sort of. Similar to a golfers Tee, TEEbooks provides support for your books, DVDs, CDs, barware and more, all while maintaining an invisible presence. It is a simple wall system that can be mounted as you please, discreetly and practically. Designer, Mauro Canfori was in fact inspired by the golfers' Tee and reflected its' functional design, allowing attention to be paid strictly to "our friends" - the books and such, rather than the storage unit. You can design you your own wall system by purchasing (online) the shapes and styles you wish for. Thanks to the T-shaped model, for Mauro Canfori, and for my dear friend David for shining the light on the genius Tee-design.